Wire stretcher



June 3, 1-930. 'CJ -SHOTT s-r AL 1,760,918

WIRE'STRETCHER Filed May 2. 1929' Patented a 3193c p I I ii j g g a cHAnLEsr. sHo'r'r Ann LA D; linen, or Ac'IvInTen'n-oARL W. JOHNSON, on

* SHERIDAN, WYOMING 7 P WIRE STRETGHER 7 Application med May 2, 1929. Serial 110,359,94

This invention relates to wirelstretchers- :Figure' 3 isa section" on the line bf i andparticularly to wire stretchers havingthe Figure 1, the hand le -beingv in elevation; 7 form of a lever adapted tobe placed 'at one Figure't'is a section on the line 4'.tof F ig end against a poster-other support the ure 1. v a v o r I f 5str'etching; power being applied to the other Referring to this drawing, "designates: 515 end of the lever and provided-with wire orv the handle (or lever which is ofheavy iron, cable gripping jaws. 7 v flattened at one end as at 11 to form a shank The general object of our invention is to and this flattened portion'being longitudiprovide aparticularly powerful and etfecanally extended-and terminating in atrans-f 10 tive stretcher so constructed that it has a posiversely extending. cross head 12 recessed at; 60

-tive grip on the'wire', the Wiregrippingmeans .13 upon its front face to render the cross head being of such character and so connected that lighterin weight, a this cross v head being the greater the strain applied on the handle, ,o formed to provide the oppositely disposed the greaterwill be the gripping actionoi the jaws 14, which i are slightly -rounded. upon j ;15 jaws, the release of pressure on the handle or "their'inner faces, that is, thefaces confront.- 5

lever causing thejaws to positively free themin}: the extremity ofthe handle 10; p

. selves from: engagement with the wire, chain c ,These rounded'fac e's are transversely serj or cable. 1 V a o f rated. The" c1'oss head'12 isslotted as a't-f15. A further object o'f'the invention is to pro- Extending through this slot is asfiat shank vide a device of this character having'a star- 16, gradually increasing in width toward the shaped'element adapted to be disposed against handle, Which Shank carries upon-it the Cross the; support and rocked thereon, thus doing head 17 confronting the cross head 12 and're- 7 away with the necessity of using .chains'or 'cessed upon its front face. Abolt'18- passes rods to fasten the stretcher to the post 01' through thiS cTOSSlieaCl-Hnd through theflafl F1 other sup rt, thus permitting thefstretcher V e 'p nj 0f el n Carriasaffi c to be usedimore effectively and'more readily U 'S 9 Washer H hB washer bearing:

than other wire stretchers known to us. j Z against fl OfQh h l p t en A further object is to provide a stretcher bf e n t b fi g. againsthe-w e 111 ,an I this character having a'handle andja fixed jaw bVlOUS man-Herr 6 eXtlemifiies O hQ- thereon, a rocking jaw associated with the head 7 are formed P i j s YL- Y have rocking, nonslipping engagement with law-i fixed jaw and'a terminal member pivoted to law 911 2, l s 1 @1161 Ql the handle inward. of the fixed jaw and carb l; sllghtlyiconcave-uponthelr faces C J '1 rying the movable jaw, the terminal member frontmg the l s 14 and g 3 3 I in turn at its extremity beinsr so formed'as to r as at 2' w .0118 of th laws 21 '7 1s turned toward oragalnst the aw 14 the serratedconcave portion 22 approximately r fits thecurvature of the inner face'oftheja'w 14." The slot 15 isgot' course; large enough to" permit the shank 165350 rock sufiiciently to i I Y cause one or the other of the jaws. 21 to'bear .Qther Q QTIe CGS W 1 app ar -t course against one or the other of the jaws 14."

the e l w s, t a i The stretcher is made of heavy ironor steel PP e w il tm d t e e Q a and obviouslythe exact form of the stretcher pa y g draw ng, ,whe might be modified-from thatshown-without the post, the rockin'g'ofthe terminal member 3 I under strain acting toclose'the movable jaw r at one end against't-he like end'of the fixed v 45 1 i l l i 313 3 View of a e Stretch-61" departing from-the spirit of the invention as ,to ing in section;

constructed in. accordance with our inven d fin din the appended claims. I v r c tion; .9 c Y r I vInthe use of the stretcher allthat is neces- FigureQ is a'plan view showing the man sary is to open thejaws, lay the Wire within ner injwhich the wrench is used, the post bethegspace between the jaws and place! the v 7 o. V arcuately curved toothed end-16,? oif the ele ment 16 against the fence post or other support, that is, against the side or back of the post.

Pressure is then applied to the handle. This will cause the element 16 to rock upon the handle so that it is disposed at an angle thereto which will bring the jaws close to gether and the greater the pressure applied to the handle under these circumstances, the greater the pressure which the closed jaws exert upon the wire cable or other object gripped thereby. When once a grip has been secured upon the wire, the operator may lay his body against the handle, leaving both hands free to handle staples and. the hammer. The greater the pressure applied upon the handle, the greater the gripping action upon the jaws and when pressure is released on the handle, the aws will free themselves from the wire.

With this wire stretcher, it is possible to stretch the wire to the corner post and have no slack left as is necessarily the case where a rope block or other like stretcher is used, the reason being that the fulcrum upon which this stretcher acts is behind the post, that is, on the sideof the post in a direction away from the point at which the wire is anchored and this stretcher may be pulled around the post to any desired extent to cause the wrapping of the wire partially around the post. This is due to the fact thatthe arcuately arranged teeth l6 permit a rotation of the handle through at least 180. In any position of these arcuate teeth 16 the points of one or more teeth will enter into the wood of the post, thus securing a firm non-slipping enga ement with the post at all times.

fine of the strong points of this stretcher resides in the fact that the movable cross head 17 is placed back of the stationary jaw .12. By this crossing effect of the jaws we get the tension on the pull side or front of the stretcher, whereas if themovable jaw was in front of the stationary jaw, when pressure was applied to the handle, the stretcher wouldroll over and release the wire. With ourstretcher, the pull coming in front, it is absolutely impossible for it to roll and release the wire. It. will under all circumstances stay in proper alinement. Thus for instance, if the handle extended out past the fixed jaw 12 and the terminal member 16 were pivoted to this handle outwardly of the fixed jaw instead of being pivoted inward, then with pressure applied to the handle in the direction shown in Figure 2, for instance, the grip would be on the opposite side of the handle from the work and this would tend to turn or roll the wire stretcher around and release the jaw. The construction is such that it would be entirely possible to drop forge this stretcher, making slight changes in it to this end without, however, departing from the spirit of the invention.

W e have illustrated the jaws as being I end of the handle, the cross head being slotted, a shank extending through said slot,

the shank at its inner end carrying a transversely extending cross head formed with a jaw confronting the first-named jaw, the cross head being pivoted to the handle for oscillation, the shank at its end remote from its pivot being formed with an arcuate se-" ries of teeth.

2. A wire stretcher of the character described, comprising a handle carrying at one end an outwardly projecting cross head, the

cross head extending transversely of the.

length of the handle and at its ends and on its inner face being serrated to provide'jaws, the cross head being slotted, a shank extending through the slot of the cross'head, the shank at its inner end being formed with a cross 5 head, the extremity of this cross head being formed with "jaws confronting the first named jaws, a pivot bolt passing through the second named cross head and shank and through the handle, the extremity of the shank away from the cross head being formed with an arcuate'series of post engaging teeth.

3. A wire stretch-er comprising a handle flattened toward one end, the flattened end of the handle being formed with an outwardly pro ecting transversely extending cross head, the cross head at its ends and on its inner face being formed withrou-n ded transversely serrated jaw surfaces, the cross head being slotted, a shank extending through said slot and pivoted to the flattened portion of the handle for rocking movement, the pivotal end of the shank having a transversely extending cross head formed to provide j aws confronting the jaws of the first named cross headf said jaws being transversely concave and .ser rated, the outer extremity of the shank .being formed with radiating post engaging teeth.

4. A wire stretcher comprising a handle formed with a flattened portion and a cross head rigid with theflattened portion and projecting laterally beyond the same, the inner faces of the cross head being rounded and transversely serrated, the cross head be-' ing slotted, a shank extending through the slot in the cross head and pivoted to the flattened portion of the handle whereby the shank may'oscillate, the pivotal end of the shank being provided with a cross head formed with jaws confronting the first named jaws and transversely serrated, the extremity of the shank being formed for rocking engagement with the post.

5. A Wire stretcher of the character deo scribed comprising a handle, a stationary cross head mounted upon the handle and have 1 ing a jaw facingtoward the handle, a shank pivoted to the'handle and at its inner end carrylng a transversely extending cross head formed With a j jaw confronting the firstr named jaw, the'shank at its outer end being formed to engage against a fixed abutment. In testimony whereof We hereunto affix our signatures.

CLAUD E. LUCE. t CARL W. JOHNSON.

CHARLES'F; sHoTT; 

